Hazardous Containment Vessel

ABSTRACT

A hazardous containment vessel is comprised of a body and a lid assembly for at least minimizing fragmentation from a low-energy explosive. The body is comprised of at least an inner liner, an outer liner, and a lock catch. The lid assembly is comprised of at least a lid, a lock plate, and a lock arm. The lock plate includes a slot for each lock arm, wherein the lock arm passes through the slot, and wherein the lock arm is capable of rotation caused by vertical movement of the lock plate to engage a lock catch.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S provisional application Ser. No. 63/238,125, filed on Aug. 28, 2021, and incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hazardous containment vessel that is designed and configured to hold and secure a hazardous object, and withstand a blast or explosion from the hazardous object.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is clearly understood that the ability to contain hazardous objects in a public environment is of great importance. Over the years many types of containment vessels have been developed to contain hazardous objects such as explosives to prevent injury to nearby people and structures. However, these are often designed for high-energy explosives which results in large, bulky, and heavy vessels that are not practical for many situations. Low-energy Hazardous Objects are more easily obtained or manufactured, and are often capable of being disguised so that a person may carry the Hazardous Object to a location without detection, disguised in a backpack, a purse, a handbag, a brief case, an overcoat, or a similarly sized object. What is needed is a hazardous containment vessel designed for low energy explosives that is portable, yet effective against lower-energy hazards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a hazardous containment vessel comprised of a body made from layers of shock or blast absorbing materials to withstand the force of an explosion, and a lid assembly that is designed and configured to both absorb the blast and be secured in the event of an explosion within the vessel. More specifically, the hazardous containment vessel is comprised of a body and a lid assembly for at least minimizing fragmentation from a low-energy explosive. The body is comprised of at least an inner liner, an outer liner, and a lock catch. The lid assembly is comprised of at least a lid, a lock plate, and a lock arm. The lock plate includes a slot for each lock arm, wherein the lock arm passes through the slot, and wherein the lock arm is capable of rotation caused by vertical movement of the lock plate to engage a lock catch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away view showing the interior of the hazardous containment vessel.

FIG. 3 a is a cut-away view of the securing lid of the hazardous containment vessel in the open position.

FIG. 3 b is a cut-away view of the securing lid of the hazardous containment vessel in the closed position.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away top view of the body of the hazardous containment vessel showing the interior and the shock absorbing linings.

FIG. 5 is a cut-away side view of the hazardous containment vessel with a hazardous object contained.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away side view of the hazardous containment vessel showing the direction of explosive forces within the vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, and that there may be a variety of other alternate embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the varying embodiments of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 , there is shown a Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 comprising a Body 110 and a Lid Assembly 150. The Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 is capable of containing a Hazardous Object H that may be detected at a school, a shopping mall, or business. The Hazardous Object H may be a bomb, a gun, a knife, or any such object that is intended to harm people or structures in the vicinity. Although the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 is shown to be a rectangular shape with essentially flat exterior surfaces, the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 may contain more than six exterior surfaces, may be cylindrical in shape, or contoured to contain one or more convex or concave surfaces. The Lid Assembly 150 may be attached to the Body 110 using one or more hinges (not shown), or may be separately removable. The Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 may include wheels and a handle (not shown) to improve mobility.

FIG. 2 is a section view taken from FIG. 1 which shows an elevation view of the Body 110. The Body 110 is comprised of multi-layer Side Walls 113, including at least an Inner Liner 121 and an Outer Liner 125, and a Lock Catch 132. The Exterior Surface 112 is made of a fragment resistant material such as a ductile steel, rubber or rubber composite, carbon or glass fiber laminate, or other like materials. There is also shown an Interior Surface 131 made of a material capable of preventing electromagnetic interference (EMI) or radio frequency interference (RFI) that may be used to remotely activate a bomb, or otherwise communicate with objects contained in the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100. The Interior Surface 131 may be any conductive material such as rigid aluminum, steel, copper, or similar rigid and conductive material. The Interior Surface 131 may be a flexible material such as aluminized polymer film (such as a polyester film), conductive fabric, or similar flexible and conductive material. The Interior Surface 131 may be a removal bag having shielding properties, often referred to as faraday bags or RF blocking bags. The Interior Surface 131 may also be a spray-coated layer of any conductive material. The Interior Surface 131 may or may not be continuous as long as it effectively blocks electromagnetic or radio frequency energy from the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100.

An Inner Liner 121 may be comprised of a high-density material such as ceramic or concrete or a matrix material including ceramic, concrete, or sand. The high-density Inner Liner 121 is preferred to have a density of about 80 lb/ft3 to about 160 lb/ft3, with a preferred density of about 100 lb/ft3 to about 120 lb/ft3. An Outer Liner 125 may be comprised of fiberglass, carbon fiber, polyparaphenylene terephthalamide, or other high-tensile strength synthetic fiber or composite including one or more of these fibers. Optionally, there may be an Arrest Liner 123 separating the Inner Liner 121 and Outer Liner 125. The Arrest Liner 123 may be a metallic layer ranging from 28 gage (about 0.014″) to 10 gage (about 0.135″) sheet metal. Note that “gage” metal varies by the type of metal (galvanized steel of a fixed gage will have a first thickness, while stainless steel of the same gage may have a second thickness, and aluminum of the same gage may have a third thickness.)

The optional Arrest Liner 123 may be formed to have a three-dimensional shape such as corrugated, ribbed, or other shape. FIG. 4 is a cross section taken from FIG. 1 showing a cross-section of the Side Walls 113. The Arrest Liner 123 is shown to have a three-dimensional shape. In FIG. 4 , the Arrest Liner 123 is corrugated. A three-dimensionally shaped Arrest Liner 123 increases the likelihood of absorbing explosive energy E by first flattening before fragmenting. This reduces the remaining energy that may be experienced outside of the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100. Also shown in FIG. 2 is a Lock Catch 132, which is designed to interact with a Lock Arm 175, as shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b . The Lock Catch 132 shown is a continuous lip formed around the Interior Surface 131 of the Body 110. The Lock Catch 132 as shown may accommodate one or many Lock Arms 175. As shown in FIG. 1 , there are six Slots 171 to enable six Lock Arms 175 to engage the Lock Catch 132. Alternately, the Lock Catch 132 may be discontinuous recesses in the Body Walls 131 such as notches or blind holes formed from the inside, but not extending to the outside.

The thickness of each Side Wall 113 may vary substantially. Likewise, the thickness of each layer may vary. The combination of at least the Interior Surface 131, the Inner Liner 121, the Outer Liner 125, and the Exterior Surface 112 is at least 0.75 inches (19.0 mm) thick to at least minimize fragmentation from a low-energy explosive. The optional Arrest Liner 123 may or may not increase the Side Wall 113 thickness. Each layer is shown to be continuous from the Sealing Surface 115 (at the top of the Body) to the Bottom Surface 114. However, it may be preferred to have a Sealing Surface 115 or Bottom Surface 114 of a single continuous material, or for any of the liners or surfaces to be discontinuous from top to bottom.

In FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , there is shown a cross-section of a Lid Assembly 150, the cross-section taken from FIG. 1 . The Lid Assembly 150 comprises at least a Lid 151, a Lock Plate 170, and a Lock Arm 175. The Lid Assembly 150 includes a Lid 151 having a Lid Recess 153 and a Lid Hole 152. The Lid 151 may be formed from machined or cast metal such as steel, aluminum, bronze, zinc, or like metal. The Lid 151 may alternately be formed from a synthetic fiber such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide by casting, laminating, or pressure forming that may include a binder such as an epoxy-based binder. The Lid Assembly 150 further includes a Gasket 155 that is capable of sealing between the Lid Assembly 150 and the Body 110. A preferred Gasket 155 is a woven fiberglass rope that may be optionally impregnated with graphite, such as one available from Stanbroil. As shown, the Gasket 155 is press fit into a Gasket Recess 156 formed into the Lid 151. Alternately, the Gasket 155 may be press fit into the top surface of the Body 110, and the Sealing Surface 115 may be on the bottom of the Lid 151. Stated another way, the Gasket 156 and Sealing Surface 115 may be reversed. The Gasket 155 may alternately be adhesively bonded or mechanically attached.

The Lid Assembly 150 is designed to form a positive grip on the Body 110 by one or more Lock Arms 175. The Lock Arms 175 are pivotally attached to the Lid 151 in the Lid Recess 153. The Lock Arms 175 pass through openings in a Lock Plate 170. The openings are shown as Slots 171 having four surfaces. The center of each Slot 171 is offset from the pivot centerline of each Lock Arm 175 as shown by Slot CL 172 and Pivot CL 173 in FIG. 3 a . This causes the Lock Arm 175 to rotate as the Lock Plate 170 moves up or down relative to the Lid 151. Two opposing surfaces of each Slot 171 include Lock Cam 174 surfaces that provide a controlled curved surface for the Lock Arms 175 to rotate inward or outward in a generally single degree of freedom. Movement of the Plate 170 is caused by a Cam Lever 161 actuating a Cam Shaft 162 that is attached to the Lock Plate 170.

As shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b , a Cam Shaft 162 is attached to the Lock Plate 170 and passes through a Lid Hole 152, extending above the Lid 151. The Lid Hole 152 provides a bearing surface for the Cam Shaft 162, and provides a circuitous Vent Path 167 if needed to vent air or explosive gasses to the atmosphere. If a vent is not desired, or a separate vent is preferred, the Lid Hole 152 may incorporate a seal to essentially prevent air from venting through the Lid Hole 152. Actuation of the Lock Arms 175 is caused by a mechanism including a Cam Lever 161 having a Cam Surface 163. The Cam Lever 161 is pivotally attached to the Cam Shaft 162, which is attached to the Lock Plate 170. The Lock Plate 170 is biased downward toward the Interior 130 of the Body 110 by one or more Springs 165. As shown, compression springs are used in which the Springs 165 are most elongated in the rest position. As the Cam Lever 161 is rotated, the Cam Surface 163 causes an upward motion of the Lock Plate 170, compressing the Springs 165.

The operation of the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 is best understood by considering FIG. 5 , in addition to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b . Once a Hazardous Object H has been identified, it may be disposed into the Interior 130 of the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100. The Lid Assembly 150 will then be closed, and the Cam Lever 161 will be rotated to raise the Lock Plate 170, thereby actuating the Lock Arms 175 to engage the Lock Catch 132.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of the Lid Assembly 150 closed on the Body 110. Gray arrows indicate an Explosive Force E acting on the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100. If a Hazardous Object H does explode, it is anticipated that the Hazardous Containment Vessel 100 would be adequate to withstand rupture for any explosive rated at 1.4S as defined by 49 CFR § 173.52. Further, if a Hazardous Object H explodes E, the Lock Plate 170 will be thrusted upward due to the force of the blast, further tightening the grip of the Lid Assembly 150 to the Body 100, thereby preventing the Lid Assembly 150 from opening when it is needed the most. 

We claim:
 1. A hazardous containment vessel comprising: a body comprising an inner liner, an outer liner, and a lock catch; and a lid assembly comprising a lid, a lock plate, and a lock arm.
 2. The hazardous containment vessel of claim 1 wherein the lock plate includes a slot for each lock arm, wherein the lock arm passes through the slot, and wherein the lock arm is capable of rotation caused by vertical movement of the lock plate.
 3. A hazardous containment vessel having an open and a closed position comprising: a body comprising an inner liner, an outer liner, and a lock catch; a lid assembly comprising a lid, a lock plate, and a lock arm; and wherein, in a closed position, the lock arm is capable of engagement with the lock catch.
 4. A hazardous containment vessel having an open and a closed position comprising: a body having an interior; a lid assembly comprising a lock plate and a lid hole; a gasket between the body and lid assembly; and in a closed position, the lid hole provides venting of air or explosive gasses to the atmosphere.
 5. The hazardous containment vessel having an open and a closed position of claim 4, further comprising: a body having; an interior surface capable of blocking electromagnetic or radio frequency energy; an inner liner comprising a material having a density of about 80 lb/ft3 to about 160 lb/ft3; an arrest liner comprising a metal having a three-dimensional shape; and an outer liner comprising a fragment resistant material selected from the group consisting of a ductile steel, rubber, rubber composite, carbon fiber, and glass fiber. 